India striving to evolve common BRICS position on West Asia

New Delhi: India on Saturday said it is striving to evolve a common BRICS position on the West Asia situation, though differing views among member states have so far prevented consensus.

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Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said New Delhi has been working to build a common formulation within the grouping but varying positions have made it difficult. "We are trying our best to develop a common BRICS position, but because of differing views consensus has eluded the grouping so far. Our leadership is also in talks with BRICS member countries, and we will continue to remain engaged to arrive at a common position," Jaiswal said.


He noted that some BRICS members are directly involved in the current conflict, which has complicated efforts to frame a joint stance.

"Some members of BRICS are directly involved in the current situation...this has obviously impacted forging a common BRICS position on the conflict," he said.

Jaiswal said India, as the current BRICS chair, has been facilitating discussions among the 11 member states through the Sherpa channel. The latest virtual meeting of BRICS Sherpas was held on March 12.

India currently holds the BRICS presidency, but issuing a joint statement on the crisis remains delicate as three members - Iran, the UAE and Saudi Arabia - are involved in the conflict.

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During a phone conversation on Thursday between India's External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and his Iranian counterpart - their fourth since the conflict began a fortnight ago - Tehran sought BRICS solidarity on the escalating situation.

The issue was also discussed when Jaishankar spoke with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Wednesday. It is understood that BRICS members are engaged in preliminary discussions on a formulation that accommodates the interests of all member states.